The Galaxy S21 can add custom backgrounds during video calls in Duo, Zoom, Teams, and Webex

By now you’ve probably participated in a video call or two in the last few months. And by now you’ve probably realized that having all of your co-workers see your room is a little odd. If you pick up the Galaxy S21, you can mitigate that weirdness by enabling new video call effects.

More specifically, Samsung’s new flagship lineup allows users to easily add a custom background to video calls in Duo, Zoom, Teams, and Webex. That just about covers all the popular video chat platforms on the market—or at least the ones that are used in enterprise circles. Unfortunately, the features don’t appear to work in Google Meet.

According to Android Police, if you go to Settings > Advanced features > Video call effects, you’ll be able to change a handful of features when video chatting. You can add background blur, background color, and a background image. Some of the biggest platforms already offer these features natively, but it’s cool to see them baked right into the Galaxy S21’s settings.

As of now, it sounds like these video call effects are exclusive to One UI 3.1, which launched on the new Galaxy S21 series. It’s unclear if other Samsung owners will be able to use these features when One UI 3.1 is rolled out to other Galaxy phones.

If you’re curious to see the feature in action, Android Police shared a video showcasing what the feature looks like. What’s demonstrated in the video is a little distracting, so it might not be something you’d want to use on an important call. Still, if you’re chatting with a friend or family member, they’re useful features to have.

If you do plan on using the Galaxy S21 series to video chat, you can take advantage of an auto-framing feature while using Google Duo. That feature will keep users in the center of the frame while using the service hands-free as if having your own personal cameraperson.

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